Sins can always be Forgiven
by 143Reno
Summary: Kaylee Lorain lived a dreary life until she was introduced to AVALANCHE. With the help of new friends and the spark of a romance, Kaylee will soon find who she really is and what kind of potential she truly has. CloudxOC
1. A very rusty beginning

The morning was colder than it had been in a long time, autumn was around the corner. I stared out my window in attempt to distract myself from the pending assignment I had sitting on the screen of my desktop computer. I looked slowly around my small, filthy apartment where I had been living for the past three years—the sad part is that it was in better shape than most of the other places around here.

I was pulled from my trance when the phone began to ring. Annoyed at this, I let the machine pick it up; the phone was always an invention I despised.

"Kayleeeee! You really need to start picking the phone up! I'm so sick of your stupid answering machine. Oh well, I just wanted to let you know that Yuffie is coming into town tomorrow and I know that you love seeing her; so I wanted to know if you would come over and pop in for a quick hello. Take a break off of work and your training and just relax for once! Okay, I'll catch you later!" the line clicked as Odette's voice left the vicinity. I just stared at the machine because she really could be quite annoying sometimes.

"Odette how are you always happy when so much has happened?" I thought to myself. She knew almost everything about me except for one thing that I could never tell anyone; I didn't like to think about it, sometimes I liked to feel that it never even happened. If Yuffie ever found out, it would probably cost me my life.

I stood up and grabbed my magnum revolver and walked over to the wall. Since I was trapped in such a tiny living space, I built a small secret into the wall. I smacked the spackled area three times until the wall flipped open and revealed a small flight of stairs—that was the benefit of having an apartment on the lower floor. I carried myself down the tin stairs until I reached the training ground.

"Alright let's see if we've improved since last time Angeline." I said to myself as I cradled my gun. I've had Angeline since I could remember and in that long amount of time, I had become an ace gun-man. It was sad to think about, but in reality, my gun was my best friend.

I grabbed it and started running at the stationary targets first until every last one was blown away and moved back into the wall from whence it came. I wasn't breathing hard yet, so I decided to up the training level to a level three. This time targets came out from everywhere and if I missed the shot, the target would shoot a plank of wood from a tube attached to the arm. Being agile, I dodged every time until one hit me square in the side and I was thrown down to the ground with a groan. At this point I was breathing heavy and sweating profusely. Slightly frustrated, I walked back up the stairs and closed off the training ground.

Seeing that yet another message was left on the answering machine, I pressed the replay button and listened.

"Ms. Lorain, I am calling from Jen Beto in regards to the meeting you had with your boss the other day. He wants to see you in his office right away tomorrow morning as soon as you come in. It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you." And the line went dead.

"Stupid automated voice messages." I muttered angrily to myself. I was just so miserable lately, it was disgusting. Between my job, my training, and my damn conscience, I was going to be dead before I reached the age of twenty two. It would be a miracle if I could ever find someone to understand and help me with what I was going through, but it was impossible because I was hiding so much. I sniffed the air and grimaced, I stank. I stood and laughed to myself because I had sweat all the way through my pants and onto the stained love seat I had been sitting on. A shower was necessary; this was going to be a long night. 

I awoke the next morning and remembered that I needed to go to work early to meet my boss. I prayed that this meeting was meant to be in my favor, I really couldn't afford to lose my job right now. I was barely getting by as it was. I threw on my business outfit and walked out the door to my small black scooter. Yes, I was that poor to the point where I couldn't even afford a car. After a lengthy commute, I pulled into the parking lot and locked the scooter up as best as I could since I didn't have a lock and chain. I sighed and approached the building. Before going in, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; fixed the mess I called hair, and put on my brightest smile. I walked up to my desk, logged onto my computer, and began my descent up to the "boss's lair".  
>When I reached the top, I knocked lightly on the door and was let in by his secretary. She motioned for me to take a seat and wait patiently for him to return from the bathroom. I clicked my teeth together and crossed my legs nervously. I heard him enter and my face immediately turned bright red from nerves and I shook his hand before he ushered me into my seat again. He folded his hands on his desk and looked me up and down.<p>

"Ms. Lorain, I know you've been coming to work and doing what you're told to do, but you're always showing up late and customers have been leaving us because of your unpleasant attitude. Now I know it's none of my business, but whatever's bothering you, you've got to let it go sometime soon or else it's your job." I stared him right in the eye until he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I've worked here for almost five years and I'm barely making enough money to get by on rent; don't you think there's something wrong with that? I'd like to keep my job and everything but I need a raise and if I can't get one, then I don't know what to tell you." He just looked me in the face with his mouth slightly agape. Would he listen to me? I was always outgoing with him and he always seemed like a good guy to me, so what would be wrong with him now?

"Kaylee I can't give you a raise, I'm sorry. We just don't have it in the budget right now, and we need those customers. I don't need you to sell your soul to me or anything, just be a little happier. If you can't do that, then sorry but I'm going to have to let you go." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. After all the years of hard work, it's just going to go down the drain. I really needed that raise, and if he wasn't going to give it to me, then I couldn't stay here any longer.

"In that case sir, I'll be happy to let you know that you won't have to let me go." I replied sadly.

"Well, that's wonderful Kaylee thank-"

"Because I'm quitting. I'll find another job that can give me the money I need. Until then, wish me the best of luck, sir." I shook his hand once more and gave him a final nod before taking my leave. I logged off of my computer and cleared off the one picture I had perched on my desk.

"Well that was an easy clean up…" I said to myself with humor. I nodded to the woman at the front desk whose name I didn't even know—she was new. As I walked out those double doors, I felt empowered for the first time in a long time. I smiled inwardly at the idea that I lead my own life and no one else could stop me. My small victory was soon demolished when a realization hit me hard in the face—how was I going to afford to live?


	2. Time to move along

As this terrible thought was dawning on me, I remembered that Odette had called me last night and Yuffie was in town. Yuffie had always brought out the best in me and I always looked forward to seeing her because she was just so innocent and carefree. I had never met her friends although she's offered many times before. She had never told me anything about them, just that they were part of a group called AVALANCHE. I decided that I needed a good laugh right about now since I was jobless, so I walked over to my parking space only to find that my scooter had been stolen. I just stared at the now empty parking space in horror.

"You've got to be kidding me right? This isn't really happening, let me turn around and then turn back and check!" I whirled around quickly in a circle and then let out a groan of defeat when it still wasn't there. Yelling out a few profanities, I started walking back to your apartment. This wasn't the easiest task in the world considering I was wearing a business suit and high heels. When I finally reached my apartment, I saw the old woman who owned the place hanging something on my door.

"What can I do for you Mrs. McCray?" She turned around and grabbed her chest in horror.

"Oh my lord Kaylee you scared the living daylights out of me!" She yelled in horror.

"Sorry about that."

"I was just stopping by to drop this off for you. I'm terribly sorry, but I have to do this for it's a part of the job." She turned and started walking down the hall. I keyed into the door and plopped down on a kitchen chair and rested my elbows on the wooden table, which was rotting.

NOTICE OF EVICTION: The following person[s] is being evicted from their room for the following reason[s]:

-Late fee paying

-Gun shots

-Loud singing at early morning hours

-Some thumping

-Light complaints from neighboring tenants.

Was this a sick joke? I had managed to create a new record: I lost my job AND lost my home all in the same day. I crumpled the piece of paper and sighed. I stalked into the bedroom and changed into something casual so I could meet Odette and Yuffie already. I wasn't exactly thrilled to tell them the news, Odette would have a field day. I stepped out of the door in a funk when I heard someone hollering my name from behind. I spun around on my heels to be met face to face with some kid I had never met before. He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where from.

"Uhh, do I know you?" I asked a bit creeped out. He looked a little hurt but didn't really react. He had the appearance of an overeager teenager with spiked purple hair, a lot of acne, and a long leather jacket.

"I live in the apartment building across from you and I've heard you sing before and have seen your shows at the book store!" He was extremely weird.

"Oh well, it's flattering to know someone likes it...you do like it right?" I asked.

"Oh yes very much! I guess you could say I even started a fan club on my own if you want to put it that way!" That was creepy.

"Oh, well sorry to rush off like this but I'm meeting two of my friends; so I'll see you later." I said in attempt to escape.

"Yes, yes you will!" He yelled. I walked away on my guard as he watched every step I took. When I finally reached Odette's relief coursed throughout my body when she answered the door. I was never exactly positive what Odette did, but her house was huge and gorgeous. Just being twenty three years old, she had made an entire living for herself, I couldn't help but be a little bit envious.

"Kaylee! I'm so glad you're here, Yuffie was getting impatient." She laid eyes on me for about five seconds and understood that something had happened. "What happened this time?"

"It's a long story." I said as I walked through the door. I went straight to the cupboard and grabbed a packet of fruit snacks—she always kept them around because she knew I loved them. I plopped down on her milk-white sofa, without any stains, and kicked my shoes off. I took a deep sigh and began to relay my tale of woe.

"So you have no money and nowhere to go?" she asked.

"Exactly." I responded.

"I have an idea...Yuffie!" Yuffie came running down the stairs and when she saw me she bull charged me straight into the wall and almost broke the couch.

"Kayleeee! I've missed you! What's new, what's happening, are you over your depression yet?" I just laughed and threw her off of me. Odette just sighed and started to fill Yuffie in on everything that I had just told her while Yuffie messed around with my hair. "So you've got nowhere to go at all and no money?"

"None whatsoever." I replied.

"You can come back with me and if you pitch in around the place you can stay with my friends at their bar. It shouldn't be a problem and they're really nice; Cloud is just like you, you'll get along fine." She said with a grin.

"I don't know Yuffie, I suppose I could. I've never met them before and I don't want to be a nuisance." I said uneasily.

"It's no trouble at all. We'll leave tomorrow."


	3. Unexpected Meetings

"Hey Kaylee wake up, we have to leave really soon."

I looked up to see a smiling Yuffie. She seemed a little troubled by something, which wasn't like her—I hoped it wasn't because she was taking me with her. We exchanged nervous glances when we heard Odette yelling over the phone, most likely with her mother. She worried me sometimes with her attitude; it could really get her in trouble. I quickly changed into comfortable clothing and packed a small canvas bag. Yuffie beckoned me out the door and I quickly gave Odette a quick pardon before heading out onto the road. I was grateful for being so poor at that moment because it wasn't even necessary to stop back at my apartment, I had everything I needed.

"So how are we getting there? I heard Midgar was a long way from here." I said.

"I'm sorry to say that we're going to have to walk because I have no other transportation." She replied.

I sighed and looked down at my right leg. Last time I trained I pulled a muscle or something because it killed me every time I took a step—walking a long road wasn't exactly the best thing for me. I wouldn't dare complain though; Yuffie was already going through so much trouble for my sake.

It had been an hour since we first started walking and it felt like I was going to die. My leg was throbbing and I had a small gash across my forearm from random battles we had been met with. As I was about to say something, a large blue foxlike creature jumped out from the brush.

"Kaylee watch out! Aim for the belly!"

"You got it."

I aimed for the stomach but as soon as the bullet left Angeline, it dodged it quicker than you could've blinked. I quickly leapt out of the way and rolled; cutting myself even worse along the way. I swore under my breath and shot at it once more, hitting it square in the head. I smiled lightly to myself as I watched it materialize into nothing.

"You alright Kaylee? You took a beating back there."

"I'm fine, just a few scratches that's all."

We continued onward in silence for what seemed like hours. After another small battle and another small cut to the forehead I stalked over to a giant, pointy rock and lay across it. It was more unpleasant than anything else, but I was just so tired. Yuffie laughed to herself and twisted herself so she was level with my eyes.

"Are you okay? You seem a little tired."

"Not at all, I'm ready." I said winded.

"We can take a break, I'm starving, and I'm pooped too!" Yuffie yelled.

"Thanks Yuffie, I need it. Apparently I'm not in as good of shape as I thought."

We were both laughing now; and it felt good to laugh. I wished I could be like this more often, but knowing that _she _would never return to share the laughter with me again made my heart sink. As soon as the thought popped into my head I immediately stopped laughing like clockwork. Yuffie looked at me with questions written all over her face. She never got to ask them because a few feet away there was something moving in the shrubs. We both immediately stood up; weapons in hand. I was about to lunge when Yuffie quickly grabbed my arm and smiled.

"Kaylee, wait! You can relax, this is…"


	4. A Spiky Haired Savior

"This is Vincent Valentine! He's a good friend of ours, and I'm sure you'll get along just fine. What are you doing here anyways Vincent?" Yuffie said with a grin.

Vincent just stared at Yuffie like he didn't understand a word she was saying. He didn't seem like a very outgoing person; in face he sent chills up my spine.

"I sensed you coming...and I felt an unknown presence traveling with you. Tifa asked me to check on you."

I didn't know what to say, so you I just stared at him. There was something mesmerizing in his face, and he was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever laid eyes on. He was very cold, and he reminded me of myself in a way. He had noticed that I was staring and our eyes met in an icy collision.

"What are you staring at? I'm not a monster or something…"

I was slightly taken aback by his remark; I didn't mean to insult him.

"I didn't mean to, but you could be a little nicer about it! I mean, you just stumbled upon me for Christ's sake!" I yelled out with fury.

Yuffie's eyes widened in horror at what I had just said and she jumped in front of me as she watched Vincent reach for his gun holster. Seeing this, I immediately became defensive and slightly agitated that he would even think of shooting someone like me.

"Go ahead, shoot me! I dare you; I would love to see you compete with me." I said with a cocky attitude.

Yuffie tackled me to the ground as Vincent quickly took out Cerberus and shot right for my head. Lucky for me, Yuffie's specialty was her speed, and she quickly brought Vincent down.

"Alright, you saw what was happening and who was traveling with me, so Vincent if you will, please go! I don't want any trouble...and please tell Tifa that I'm bringing a friend, and don't say anything to offset her opinions!"

Vincent threw her off of him and stood up, as did I.

"I make no promises, but I'll try." He said.

He looked me over one last time and then materialized into the red cape that engulfed his body. Yuffie turned around and looked at me, sighing.

"Well, you made a good impression on him, didn't you?"

I just rolled my eyes and scoffed. We continued on our journey once again toward the awaiting AVALANCHE group sitting at the seventh Heaven.

Yuffie was humming softly a few inches behind when I heard the sound of gun shots and the engine of a motor cycle approaching. We exchanged nervous glances and pulled our weapons out. Back to back, guns and ninja stars bared, we were prepared to face anything that came. Just as we both had thought the sound dissipated, three large black bikes peaked in the distance over the top of a hill. Yuffie's blood immediately ran cold and she pushed me aside toward the route of escape.

"Run, Kaylee! These guys aren't something we can handle, they're too powerful!"

I got the hint from the look in her eyes and began to sprint away as fast as I could. Being one of the most uncoordinated people around, I tripped over a very large rock and went spiraling toward the ground and into a face didn't notice, so she kept running ahead. As I was standing, I felt shadows creeping up and saw the three bikes circling around my sprawled out form. Before I lifted my head I heard three voices conversing above my head.

"Well, well lookie what we have here boys. New meat? Well isn't she a pretty one! Let's take her back to the house to have some fun."

I stood up immediately and swung Angeline around by the trigger hole. They all had silver hair of three different lengths, and were wearing tight black leather suits. They were creepy looking in every way, and their voices were also quite unsettling.

"You won't be taking anyone home boys. Not me, anyway. I'm not going without a fight to the death!" I yelled.

From hearing this, they all just started laughing. Those laughs were never to be forgotten as long as I lived. The way they carried themselves was just so utterly disturbing that it was like living in a bad horror movie. The one with the medium hair spoke first.

"You really think a petite little thing like you can take all three of us on?"

The one with the shortest hair spoke then.

"You could never beat us, we're even more powerful from the all the materia we just took!"

Then the one with the longest hair finally spoke. His voice is what creeped me out the most.

"You stand no chance, girly. Hey, Kadaj, what should we do now? She's not going to go easily...should I just shoot her in the limbs, so she can't run away?"

I froze after hearing that and immediately gripped Angeline as hard as I could. The one with the medium length hair, now known as Kadaj, pondered this for a moment. He seemed to be the leader from the way the other two looked up to him. I hoped they were all aware that I would never let them take me so easily; I wasn't going without a fight.

"No, don't damage her. She has a great physic, and once we break her spirit, we can use her for other things."

I heard enough, they were making evil schemes and I was standing right there! I aimed Angeline right for the one with the longest hair; he needed to go he was just too freaky. However, as soon as I raised my arm to fire, the one with the shortest hair pounced on me and pinned me to the ground.

"Hey let me go! Get off of me, you big lug!"

I flipped my body, sending him rolling, and kicked him where it hurts the most. The other two became infuriated and yelled at the same time.

"Get up, Loz! You're completely useless if you can't hold down a little bitch like that!"

Kadaj then turned to the one with the longest silver hair and nodded once.

"Yazoo, it's your turn to prove yourself to me. If you do this task right, I'll be sure to tell mother what a good job you did."

The one with the longest hair, apparently named Yazoo, looked up at the cloud-filled sky with an expression of hope. When his gaze returned to reality, he looked at me with a demonic face. He ran straight at me...and I was too stunned to move. I was frozen in fear just from the look of his face. Just as he was about to grab me, he fell to the earth and prostrated there, motionless. Blood spilled from his right arm, and he seemed to be unconscious. Where the hell did that come from? I looked to my left and saw yet another black bike zooming into the scene. There was a man with spiky blonde hair and goggles driving in the front and he had a small gun in hand. He sped right by the scene and grabbed me gently by the arm and threw me onto the back of the seat behind him. Automatically, I grabbed him around the waist and held on for dear life as he sped away from the three angry, silver-haired brothers.


	5. The Leave Taking

We rode down the same dirt road for what seemed like hours. Cacti and small patches of crabgrass filled the area around us. Not a word was exchanged between the two of us through the entire journey. Who was this guy and why did he save me? Where was Yuffie, was she alright? I was too exhausted to speak, and I definitely didn't want to break the silence.

I peered over his shoulder and saw us approaching a small town. This must be the town Midgar where Yuffie was bringing me. Maybe this guy was one of her friends. As Midgar came into view, he started to speed up. Reflexively I squeezed his waist even tighter and rested my chin on his back. He smelled like a mix of a weak cologne and earth; it was a beautiful smell and I was surprised that I could sense it through his armor.

We pulled into the town, and it was the saddest thing I had ever laid eyes on. Everyone was dressed in a dull grey and they all looked sick. There were kids laying in the streets and adults walked by them like it was nothing! What was this horrible place, and why would Yuffie ever want to bring me here? We pulled up in front of a small complex called "The 7th Heaven", which appeared to be a small pub. This was definitely one of Yuffie's friends, unless he was some drunkard—though the odds of that being true were very slim. The man began to move, signaling me to get off the bike. He pulled his goggles off and revealed the bluest eyes I had ever seen in my life, they were truly beautiful. A gust of wind blew his scent over to me and tussled his spiky blonde hair. He nodded at me once and walked toward the door of the bar, giving me a nudge as he walked by. I followed him in and was greeted by a familiar face.

"Kaylee, oh my gosh, are you okay!"

"Yes Yuffie, relax and get out of my face, please."

Once I had stepped foot into the bar, Yuffie pinned me against the wall and practically chewed my face off. She stepped back and I noticed there were now eight different people staring at me. A woman stood up and began to approach me, she had long black hair, soft brown eyes, and wore a small body suit made of leather all put together with the red ribbon around her bicep.

"Hello there, Kaylee! My name is Tifa Lockheart, and I'm the owner of this bar."

I smiled warmly at her, I liked the way she carried herself. We would get along nicely. After Tifa came Barret, Cid, Cat Sith, and Red XIII. They all seemed nice enough and I knew I would end up becoming quite close with them. The next figure that approached, I had already met before- Vincent Valentine. We glared at each other, and everyone immediately became uncomfortable. I knew I would be here for a while, so I figured I would melt the ice between us.

"Hey, Vincent! I remember you; it's nice to see you again."

Yuffie and Vincent both looked like a dog bit them in the rear. I loved when people made that face, it was priceless. Vincent was practically speechless.

"Um, it's nice to see you again also, Kaylee."

He moved away quickly trying to hide the blush. I laughed inwardly as another approached me. It was the man who had brought me here! I wondered why he would be the last to introduce himself since he was the one who had saved my life. He stepped up closely, then backed off, and put his head down. His voice was quiet and like a sweet lullaby to the ears.

"My name's Cloud Strife and I live here with Tifa and the children we take care of."

I looked down at the ground, and forced a smile. Looking between Cloud and Tifa, I said:

"So, you guys are married...with kids?"

I had a strange look on my face, I mean, look how young they were! They looked around my age which was about 21, maybe a bit older, but that's so young for kids!

Tifa giggled lightly to herself and Cloud made eye contact with me for the first time. His brow furrowed at the center and he looked as confused as ever. Was it something I said? Tifa cut in:

"No, no, we're not married nor do we have kids. He just helps around the bar and we take children in off the streets whenever we can."

I looked up at her with my eyes full of feeling.

"Tifa, that's beautiful. You seem like the only ones who actually care about the little tykes out there..."

They all smiled, except for Cloud. His eyes seemed to smile, but his mouth stayed firm. Everyone's mouths fell agape when he continued talking to me. Guess he wasn't much of a talker.

"Hm, so you're staying here with us?"

"Yes, Yuffie said you guys wouldn't mind. Do you mind?"

He shook his head and walked over to where everyone else was standing. Guess talking time was over. Yuffie ran up to me and grabbed both of my hands.

"Let me tour you around! I'll show you your room and where I'll be staying whenever I visit."

I ripped my hands from hers and my eyes widened.

"When you visit? What do you mean? You're not staying?"

She looked down at the ground and kicked her foot out a little.

"Well, I live on the airship with Cid, Barrett, Cat Sith, and Red. You're going to be living with Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent."

I looked at the three of them and Tifa was the only one to make a warming gesture. I was going to die here one day, either from Vincent's cold stare or Cloud's inability to speak. Yuffie said I would get along with everyone and I hoped she was right about that.

We traveled up the stairs and into a cream colored bedroom. The bed was queen sized with white sheets, and on the right side of the room there was a bay window with a sill. Yuffie had told me that this room was to be mine.

"Wow, are you serious? It's gorgeous!"

"I told Tifa that you always sat by the window whenever you came to visit me or when we ate over at Odette's, so she gave you this room. Hers is down the hall, Cloud's is the one next door to the right, and Vincent doesn't really sleep that much, so he just hangs around. All the kids sleep in the room directly down the hall, right by Tifa's room. Do you think you'll be alright? I'm sorry to tell you this, but Cid needs to get back to the ship because we have a mission to do. Those three guys that were after us have been causing a lot of problems, so we've been trying to find their hide away."

I nodded at her once and set down the canvas bag that was on my back. There was a black rack next to the bed for hanging one or more swords which was perfect for me since I liked to experiment with the double sword sometimes. I hung my swords up and stuck Angeline in the drawer beside my bed. Yuffie walked down the stairs and I followed her back into the main bar area. Yuffie joined Cid at the door; apparently the others were already outside. I shook Cid's hand and he gave everyone behind me the salute. Yuffie tackled me to the ground once more and started tearing.

"Oh Kaylee, I don't want to leave you like this! You don't know anyone! We only just got together and now I'm leaving! I'm going to miss you so much! At least you've got Tifa, and you're exactly like Cloud, so you should get along well. Vincent's another story; if he bites you I'll kick his ass! And-"

"YUFFIE SHUT UP! Holy crap! You just keep going on! I'm going to miss you too, and I'm sure I can manage, now get the hell off of me!" I yelled.

Yuffie waved her last good-bye and ran out the door. I turned around and was met with everyone's eyes...This was going to be some adventure.


	6. The mythical being

Tifa was the most pleasant, and actually took the time to really show me all the rooms in the place. Upstairs were the bedrooms which she graciously showed me hers and mine again, and then she introduced me to all the children. They were all so sweet, and most of them were still so young. Parents were so cruel these days, how could you just abandon these adorable faces? Even if you are poor, it's still wrong. The two that stuck out the most were a little girl named Marlene and a little boy named Denzel. Marlene clung to me like no tomorrow—it made me feel wanted, almost like I was her older sister. But Denzel shunned himself away, he reminded me so much of Cloud, even his face and hair were similar.

Next, she took me past Cloud's room- which was clearly off limits from how she pointed to the door and then kept moving. She giggled to herself lightly,

"The only time I've actually been in that room was before he moved in. After that, I always felt a little uncomfortable entering; he's not much of a talker- as you can tell."

That was odd…he was almost like her tenant and she couldn't go in his room? Was it a rule? I'd have to keep that in mind for the future…

The next place we went was the basement- this was apparently the training area for them. Hidden targets, gun holders, and even sword cases were strewn around the room. I could really get used to this place; it reminded me of my own apartment, just lacking the hidden code for the spinning wall to my own training area and the horrible stained furniture that not even roaches wanted to inhabit.

We headed back upstairs and she offered me lunch, but I politely declined. Instead I headed back up to the room that I would be staying in and began to unpack. Sensing a presence, I turned around and found Vincent. That was slightly startling so I let out a quiet yelp and dropped the shirt I was folding.

"Vincent, you just gave me a small heart attack, do you need something?"

He just shrugged and studied my form. That was slightly nerve-racking coming from an attractive, slightly un-dead man.

"Tifa sent me up here to see how you were doing or if you needed anything. She…also wanted me to apologize for what happened between us. So, I guess I'm sorry."

Hey, I give him credit- that was better than nothing.

"No, I don't need anything…and thanks. I'm sorry also; first impressions really aren't my thing."

He nodded once, lingered for a moment, and then walked back out of my door way. I appreciated that, it made me feel a little better about staying here for a few weeks.

Alright, so a few weeks turned into a few months because Yuffie still hadn't come back. Tifa didn't seem to mind too much, she appreciated the help I gave her. Vincent and I had also gotten a lot closer, which was relieving. Cloud wasn't too different then he usually was aside from the fact that he nodded at me occasionally and would question how I was doing. I had to admit, things were pretty peaceful at the 7th heaven, and part of me never wanted to leave. Everything here was much better than what I had before. At least I could get a good quality meal without wiping out all the money in my pocket.

Tifa had sent me to pick up some stuff from the local market place, and on my way back I sensed something different about the air. I was wearing casual blue jeans and a green tank top—nothing unusual, but I was getting a lot more looks from men on the street. I pretty much sprinted home when one came close to slapping my ass, I would have kicked him so hard, and that could have caused a long-term problem. I walked into the door of the 7th heaven to realize that there were two unexpected guests sitting there. It was Wednesday; the bar was closed on Wednesdays.

"Oh, Kaylee! Sit down, I would like you to meet old…friends. This is Reno, and this is Rude."

She seemed a little hesitant on the word friends. The big guy, Rude, stood up first and firmly shook my hand. The smaller one with the flaming red hair, Reno, practically flew out of his chair and hugged me. Not used to being touched, especially so boldly, I threw him over my shoulder and pinned him to the ground with my fist clenched to his jugular. He just looked up and laughed, rolled over, and walked back to his seat.

"Well ain't she the sweetest? She sure is the cutest, for sure." He said.

Hearing this, I couldn't help but blush a little bit. I took a seat on Tifa's left with an empty chair next to me that was swiftly filled with Cloud. I looked to my left and smiled up at him, and all he did was nod back. Better than nothing, right? Seeing this, Reno got all mad and started complaining on how Cloud should really find a woman and stop hanging around this bar waiting for more of Yuffie's friends to come visit.

"You should think about getting your own place, you know? Away from here, and all of Yuffie's hot friends. You can't keep going younger man, it just isn't right-"

I slammed my fist on the table and everyone turned to look at me.

"Enough. I'm the same age as all of you here, and I could probably kick your ass Reno. Just learn to keep your mouth shut. Learn your place and respect the people who live here, or leave."

Rude smirked under his hand and Cloud sunk back down in his chair. He looked like he was going to kill Reno. I had enough of Reno for one day, so I stood up and went back to my room after giving everyone a nod and a small goodbye.

Things went back to normal after that strange visit; the two of them didn't come back strangely enough. By that Sunday I was sitting on my window sill talking to Vincent when I sensed a familiar presence approaching. He saw the expression on my face change and I could tell he also sensed it.

"I'm sorry; it's just that I sense something oddly familiar. I'm not sure what it is, but I can tell that it's something of great importance." I said.

Vincent gave me a nod seeing as he understood, and we both walked out of the room. I heard a loud bang inside of the kid's room and I heard one of them start laughing. That was weird, I haven't heard those kids laugh in god knows how long. Vincent had heard a strange noise, so he threw my behind him and pulled his gun out, pointing it right for the kids' door.

"Vincent what are you doing? Are you insane! What if a child comes running out?"

"Don't worry Kaylee, I'm not going to shoot a child, I know there's someone else behind that door."

That was nerve racking. Who could have snuck into the bar without me, Vincent, or even Cloud noticing? The door knob began turning and I pulled out Angeline ready to shoot anyone who came out of there. Before either of us could blink, something came running out of that door so fast all that was seen was something long and yellow along with a giant blur. Vincent pushed me to the ground and ran for it.

"Stay down, Kaylee! I don't know what that was and I don't need you getting hurt…"

Like I would actually listen to him, I stood up and ran right after him. I crashed into his back when he stopped short and hit the ground.

"Ouch Vincent! What are you doing?"

"Shh, it's right over here- I saw it, but then it disappeared. And wait, why aren't you back there where I told you to stay?"

"Never mind that, where did you see it go?"

"I was running after it down this hall, and then it just disappeared."

We were standing there for a good two minutes waiting for this thing to magically reappear. At least Vincent saw it too, so I didn't look like a psycho. I was getting ready to give up on this mystical being, but when I turned around I saw it again and before I knew it…it had me by the ankle and was dragging me away. The last thing I saw was Vincent running after me, until the door shut…muffling my screams.


	7. A Darkness Unmasked

I turned over to see none other than Odette!

"Odette! What the hell are you doing here! And what was with that whole 'I'm going to drag her by her ankles and scare her half to death' thing?"

"Ha, Kaylee you never change do you? I figured I would freak that creepy guy out, I didn't like the look of him." She said.

"Hey, that's Vincent, and I love him- he's one of my good friends." I said in defense.

She just shrugged and helped me up. We were back in the kids' room but there were none to be seen.

"Odette, this is where the kids sleep- where are they?"

She shrugged again and walked toward the window.

"Odette what have you been up to? You never came to visit me the whole time I've been here. You never even called- and I can see you know where it is."

"Oh Kaylee, don't be upset. I'm here now, aren't I? I got busy with this new job I have…my boss is really awesome, I think I might love the guy or something." She said.

I looked at her funny; she was always getting into these relationships with guys she never even really knew. To hear her say she was in love with someone was really weird.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that in this life time. Do I know the guy? Is he from around where you live?"

She immediately got all defensive and shook her head.

"You wouldn't know him. Part of my new mission he sent me to do was actually to come see you. He knows Tifa and everyone and he told me to stop in with you guys for a little bit. I have another friend with me; I just have to ask everyone if it's alright."

"Vincent's not going to like this; you didn't make a very good impression."

She just started laughing at me.

"Kaylee, you really are a hoot. What we're going to do is when I open the door, you're going to pretend to throw yourself out like you were attacked, and I'm going to jump out the window and we'll act like this never happened until my partner and I knock on the front door and run the idea by Tifa."

"I don't know Odette that sounds a little ridiculous. Who would have attacked me?"

She looked up at me, and she looked like a completely different person. Her face became darker and she just looked…evil.

"You could say those three silver haired brothers did it. They're perfect targets-Cloud's sworn enemies and evil bastard remnants."

I nodded my head at her once. How did she know about them? And how did she know so much about Cloud anyway? What was even the purpose behind this madness? She stood behind the door and opened it as I threw myself out and on top of Vincent; I caught a glimpse of her leaping out the window. We were still on the ground, and Vincent put his hands on my shoulders. I looked at him and he looked sincerely frightened.

"Kaylee, are you alright? You look terrified, who was in there? What was that thing?"

"It was Kadaj and his gang. Loz and Yazoo were standing below, under the window waiting for Kadaj to finish. He talked to me and beat me a little bit trying to freak you guys out, but he left once I pulled Angeline out on his face."

We both stood up and Vincent pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Vincent, what are you doing?" I asked, slightly alarmed.

He pulled away quickly.

"I was worried; I didn't think you would be coming out of that room in one piece."

He started walking down the hall, looking slightly embarrassed- so I called his name out.

"Hey, Vincent! Thank you for caring about my well-being…it means a lot."

He turned a light shade of red and nodded his head once. I followed him down the hall and into the kitchen where Tifa was making Cloud a sandwich while he sat there and thought. I couldn't believe they didn't hear the huge commotion upstairs. I could tell it infuriated Vincent. He sat down right across from Cloud and they both started speaking in small murmurs. Cloud looked up at me with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Kaylee, can I speak to you in private for a second?"

Tifa put his sandwich in front of him and looked a little worried.

"…Sorry Tifa, I think I just lost my appetite."

She looked a little disappointed, but Vincent took her to the side and started filling her in- I could tell she understood.

Cloud and I started ascending the stairs and I noticed he was taking me to his room. According to Tifa no one was ever allowed in there except for himself. This must be a revelation.

We entered and he pointed to the edge of his bed, signaling me to sit. He stood in front of me, with his back to my face. Thinking again, I presumed. He turned to face me and his features became soft. He stared at me for the longest time, and I started to turn a light shade of pink when he let out a sigh.

"Kaylee, you do realize you're in a heap of danger with these guys right?" he asked.

I couldn't get a response in, but he kept going. It was nice- this was probably the most I've heard him talk the entire time I was there.

"I could tell they've wanted you ever since the first time I picked you up on my bike. They're not going to go easy on you, you know. You're something to look at, which makes you a prime target. Did you try to fight back that day?"

I nodded once.

"That makes you even more valuable…shit."

I looked at the floor. I felt as if I was causing him so much pain just by being alive and sitting on his bed. These guys clearly wanted to use me as bait for him, but I wasn't going to let that happen…especially since they never even attacked me. I felt so guilty for letting her talk me into this game; I should have just let her take the burn from everyone. If they ever found out I was never attacked…boy would I be screwed. He looked at me again and walked over to his own bay window.

"If Yuffie comes back anytime soon, I don't want you to go with her somewhere else. We're not going to let you leave. I know you made enough money here at the bar, but there's too much of a risk if you go. You're going to be staying here for a while if you don't mind."

He glanced at me over his shoulder and saw me nod. He turned around and sat down at his window. Me, being who I am, walked over and sat next to him. He looked a little uptight but eventually relaxed. I knew that he had known _her._ I never thought of bringing it up before, but when was I going to get a moment like this again?

"Hey Cloud, you knew…Aeris…right?"

His head shot up immediately and stared right through my soul as I just blankly looked at my hands.

"Mm. How do you?" he asked.

"She was my best friend. She meant the world to me; I would always help her at her little church so she could sell her flowers. Her boyfriend, Zack, was also a really nice guy. We were also really good friends, until ShinRa gunned him down, those bastards. Aeris and I got along after that alright, we were just barely surviving because she had lost all will to live. She had just started to forget, and live her life normal again when one of the SOLDIERS came to the door of the church and brought a piece of his armor. She completely lost herself, and I never saw her again after that." I said.

Cloud sounded like he was dry- heaving a little after I finished. He stood up and put his hands on the back of his head.

"Oh god Kaylee, I didn't know. I didn't know." He said in a panic.

"Cloud what are you talking about? Didn't know what?"

"I didn't know that she was alright after that. I didn't know it would change her forever. If I hadn't…"

I looked at him and stood up immediately.

"You were the SOLDIER that brought his armor to the church that day? You knew them, didn't you? Zack was your friend, wasn't he?" I asked with sorrow.

He nodded once and sat down on his bed with his face in his hands.

"You never saw her again? That's because she came here and joined us. The red ribbon we all wear is to honor her memory. You never will see her again, because she's dead, Kaylee. She's dead. She was killed by Sephiroth and some woman."

I fell off the window and held my stomach. He thought I was grieving at this thought, but I was just remembering that cruel day. Through broken breaths I managed to get some words out.

"Cloud I know she's dead. That thought's been in my mind ever since it happened. I said I never saw her again, I lied. I saw her the exact day she died. And I saw her die, Cloud. I saw her die."

He looked at me funny.

"How could you have seen it? It was only us, Sephiroth, and that woman…"

His eyes widened and he jumped back from me.

"It couldn't be…Kaylee…"

I stood up and I walked out. I couldn't take this reminiscing anymore. He had figured out my dark secret. The one secret that had destroyed my personality and my life. Sadly enough, I dreamt about it that night.

_I was walking out of the train car with Sephiroth. I sensed that something terrible was going to happen tonight. I joined him because he paid tons of cash and it seemed promising. I guess you could even say I had a little thing for him, if you wanted to go there. We walked across the way and we saw them all. Team AVALANCHE, standing there with Aeris- the one we needed. She had the white materia and she was the only one standing in our way of total victory. We stealthily made our way across to where she was standing. I slowly climbed the rocky ledge leading to a small platform above her head. Sephiroth followed behind me. Not realizing what was happening because he had drugged me; I took his sword from him and gained my position. He turned to me and whispered softly into my ear._

_ "Don't back down on me now, love. She needs to die; this is the pink fox- the one you've been training to defeat the entire time. Don't let me down."_

_ "But sir, you never told me her true identity. And was it really necessary to drug me? My senses are perfectly alright."_

_ "They won't be when the drug wears off. You don't need to know who she really is. You'll quit on me if you did."_

_ He kissed my hand gently and I took my stance. I leapt off the ledge, plunging the sword right into the back of the pink fox. Feeling completely content and victorious, I pulled it out and looked into the face of the one I had just killed. AVANLANCHE stood to the side looking completely horrified and frightened. The blonde haired one that was closest let out a scream and charged forward toward us. As I looked down, I felt the drugs wearing off- and noticed that I was looking into the face of my best friend, Aeris Gainsborough. _


	8. Truth be Told

I woke up screaming. I hadn't actually seen it since that day, and that dream was so vivid. I could never live with this kind of regret; it was as if I were living my life with a heavy weight sitting on my shoulders. I heard feet running to my room, but I was faster and I locked the door before any of them could barge in. I heard them turning the knob trying to get in.

"Kaylee, are you okay! Open the door, is there something wrong?" Tifa yelled.

Through sobs, I managed to get out:

"I'm okay Tifa; it was just a nightmare, go back to bed. There's no one in here I swear, it's just me re living the past again and again and again…"

She kept trying to break the door open, she could tell that there was something really wrong. I heard other voices outside the door.

"No Vincent, don't just pop in there- she won't like that. Cloud, would you be able to get her out of there? Hey where are you going! Come back here, we need your- oh well."

I heard them all disperse. Cloud was willing to let me stay in my room for the rest of my life, and at the moment I was grateful for that. I've always had the urge to take my own sword to myself, but never had the guts to do it. I felt like Cloud would eventually be the stimulant for that, but what was it about him that made me so eager to please? I didn't want to believe it, but I was beginning to think I was growing feelings for him. Of all people, Cloud Strife, the one who can say so much by just looking at a person. I didn't want this to happen; in fact it was a fear of mine. Commitment and affection for someone…just couldn't be something I did. Especially with someone who would despise my very existence if he ever knew my secret. I went and sat against my cupboard door where I kept my clothes and held my head in my hands.

"Aeris, why did you have to be the pink fox? Of all people, it had to be you, my best friend. God I miss you so much. If I could do anything for you, I would send myself straight to hell where I would never have to burden you again- because I know you've been watching over me, otherwise I would have never made it here. I ruined Cloud Strife's life because of a job where the money wasn't even good! I destroyed my life because of money and Sephiroth. I can't even gain the courage enough to ask for your help now."

It felt like hours of me just sitting there silently weeping to myself on the ground. I felt the aura in the room slowly changing, and I realized everything went white and I was sitting on a small circle of different colored flowers. I felt someone sitting behind me with their back to mine.

"_Still moping around, I see. I thought you would understand that's not what I would want, Kaylee."_

"There's no way this is really happening right now. I must be sleeping. You're not really there, you can't be- I destroyed you." I said in a panic.

"_You could be dreaming, I don't really know. The difference between living and dreaming is all the same to me now. Kaylee, you could never destroy me, I'll always live forever in your heart. And I really should be thanking you- I'm living happily here, taking care of the new comers with Zack himself. He told me to tell you he said hey, by the way."_

I heard her laugh. I hadn't heard that in forever, literally. I decided this was actually happening and I wasn't going crazy, so I went with it.

"How could you act like I did you a favor? I ruined the rest of your life, I ruined Midgar forever, I killed Cloud Strife, I killed myself. Sephiroth is winning, and it's all my fault."

"_Kaylee, you were drugged and you didn't know. Even if you didn't need the money, destiny would have led you to join Sephiroth anyway. Don't punish yourself for fate's mistake. I'm so happy up here, living my life the way it should have been. The only person missing is you, but I watch over you and all of my friends every day, so it's not so bad. Zack is here for me, and the hurt is gone. Whatever you did you did in the past, and you know what Kaylee? I forgive you."_

That was the last thing I heard before I found myself back in my room, in the fetal position. The clock said that it was 9 am, so I decided to get up. I really didn't want to leave my room because I couldn't bear to face Cloud, but I got dressed and as I was about to turn the knob when Vincent randomly popped into my room.

"Kaylee, I know something's going on. Cloud's been acting even stranger than usual and you didn't come out of your room all day. Tell me what's going on, right now."

"Vincent, don't pester yourself with my pitiful life. It means nothing in the end. I have an announcement for you all anyway, and after you hear that you won't be so keen on making sure I'm alright all the time. I'm not who you think I am, and I'll never be able to take back what I've done in the past."

I walked right past him, and he followed right behind me as I climbed down the stairs. I walked right into the center of the bar, thank god it was Wednesday. I noticed that Yuffie and everyone were back. Great, now everyone could hear it and hate me forever. It's exactly what I deserved. She was about to come and pounce on me when I put my hand up to stop her and she saw my face. She stood back next to Cid and Red.

"Everyone, I need to make an important announcement." I said.

They all turned to look at me, except for Cloud.

"I'll just tell you the good news first- my bags are already packed upstairs for me to go. I know that you were all friends with the wonderful Aeris Gainsborough."

That grabbed their attention. Before the questions could start flying, I continued.

"Well, I was too. She was my best friend before the tragic accident. To make a long story short, she left when she received a piece of her deceased boyfriends' armor from when he was killed- and I thought I would never see her again. I wish that were the case. I, being desperate for money, joined a small resistance group…of which the leader was in fact Sephiroth."

People spit their drinks out at that one.

"He was paying alright money to do his dirty work. I was living on the streets; I felt as if there was nothing else left to do. Using that money, I bought a small apartment that I just recently lost, leading for me to come here."

Cid cut in:

"Well that ain't so bad. You used the guy for his money, not like you did anything terrible."

"Now Cid, that's where you're wrong, I brought up Aeris for a reason. The last mission I did with him was the mission that destroyed my life forever and some of yours also. For those of you that were there, I'm sure you recall seeing a woman with a giant sword coming down and killing her. Well, sorry to say that the woman you saw was me. I was the one who slain Aeris, I ended that poor girl's life…after all she did for me. After being my friend through the other rough times in my life. Sephiroth fed me a drug and told me to destroy the "pink fox", which was her code name. He refused to tell me her true identity the entire time I trained for that moment. I don't know what kind of drug he used, but it wore off just in time for me to recognize her face when she was lying in the water. I remember Cloud sprinting forward to her, but I was gone by the time he reached her. I was the monster who took her life and doomed our world as we know it. But the funny thing is that after I woke up from that nightmare of a dream earlier today, I was taken somewhere as I sat on my floor. I guess you could say I blacked out if you don't believe me. But she visited me, and told me that she forgave me. That's all that I needed to know, and I'm sorry to have troubled you for all this time, without ever telling you who I was. Thank you for your hospitality, I really, really do appreciate it." I said.

Everyone's mouths were gaping by the time my story finished. Even Cloud's was open a little bit. He was probably surprised that I came clean. I started up the stairs when Yuffie yelled.

"Wait, Kaylee! It can't really be true, you would never do that."

"Sorry Yuffie, but there's no way I would ever make something like that up in such a small period of time."

I kept climbing the stairs when there was a knock at the door. I stopped and looked, just to see who it was before I left for good.

"Hello there! Is your name Tifa? Are you the owner of this here bar? My name's Odette, and this here is my partner Chewy. It's a pleasure to meet you! My boss, whose name will remain unmentioned, has sent us here to study your bar- he says it's one of the most famous places in Midgar. Will you be kind enough to let us stay?" she said with a glamorous smile.

Tifa seemed a little dumbstruck; after hearing one of her tenants killed her friend- she probably wasn't in the mood to have any more strange guests.

"Um, I suppose so. I don't see why not. We're lacking in rooms though."

I cut in:

"No you're not Tifa, my room will be open in five minutes, just give me time to clear out. They can share the bed or sleep on the window sill."

Cloud then cut in:

"You're not going anywhere, Kaylee. I told you, you're not leaving anytime soon."

"Cloud, I'm uncomfortable staying here. I would rather be killed by Kadaj's gang then be here with people who hate me."

They all looked a little taken- aback by this. Tifa spoke in the gentlest voice,

"Kaylee, no one here hates you. You said yourself that you were drugged and desperate for money. You didn't know what you were doing. Sure, it's shocking, but it's not like we're going to feed you to the dogs for a mistake. I know that I forgive you, and knowing the type of person she was, I know Aeris forgives you too, just as you said earlier."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Vincent offered to escort me upstairs, and I took it knowing how he wasn't going to kill me.

"Kaylee, that was extremely honorable of you to tell us that. I understand how hard life must be for you now. You can't blame yourself for this forever."

"Thanks Vincent, I appreciate your courtesy. And I'm just warning you now, that girl at the front door is my friend, but she's been acting a little weird lately- don't trust her completely, alright?"

He nodded once and left me to my room for me to unpack my things once more. I suppose they really were my friends, no doubt about it. I could really get used to this life—for once, it was comfortable.


	9. Stalked in the Night

I still couldn't believe that they hadn't kicked me out of the bar after finding out about my past. It was amazing how generous people could be, but what really shocked me was how Cloud hadn't treated me any different. When he was the only person who knew it was impossible to even make eye contact him, but knowing how I was drugged while committing the crime…seemed to be the only reason behind why everyone reacted so well.

"Kaylee, you seem a little off lately, what's wrong?" Yuffie asked while sitting Indian-style on my bed. I shrugged at her and lay back to stare at the ceiling.

"I don't know, I just have a pang of guilt every time I look into Cloud's eyes or Vincent gives me a nod or Tifa places a plate of food in front of me…I killed Aeris, and I never thought I would see these faces again, especially as a friend. I didn't know these were your friends, Yuffie, and if I did I never would have come here." I replied. She just sighed and smacked me on the knee.

"You're an idiot. We want you here and in case you haven't noticed, Cloud seems really protective of you. He's not like that with anyone else. I think you kicked a gear in his head or something considering he didn't know anyone out there would be as cold and senseless as he is." She said with a laugh. "Look, just relax and accept the fact that you're our friend, Kaylee; you're part of the group." She said with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back. I always believed everything happened for a reason, and losing everything I had, had to happen for a really good one. There was a knock at the door and when I opened it I was met with the face of Odette.

"Hi, Kaylee! Aren't you just so super excited that I'm here?" she yelled with a smile. Yuffie jumped up and hugged her as I let her in and they both sat on my bed.

"So what exactly are you doing here, Odette?" I asked her.

"I already told you, I'm here on business. My boss asked me to come here and pretty much observe everything in the bar because he's had his eye on this place for a while. He's heard of Tifa and is very interested in offering…a deal that she could never resist. I'm really not supposed to talk about my mission, if you don't mind." She said suddenly getting defensive. I put my hands up in defense as well.

"Hey, I'm just asking—you come here unannounced and act like it's no big deal, but where were you when I left? You disappeared." I said.

"I had to report to work. Like I told you, I love my job, but more importantly I love my boss. He's just so inspirational with everything he does and he promises me great things in return!" she said in a daze. Yuffie and I exchanged nervous looks, knowing Odette, it was probably some psycho who wanted to sell her body on the market. "What? Quit acting like I'm a child, I can handle myself." She said annoyed. Yuffie and I just shrugged and stood.

"Let's go downstairs and see if Tifa needs help setting up dinner." Yuffie said. We all departed down the stairs, but when we reached the bottom I noticed the door to the basement was slightly ajar and it sounded like there was clanging medal down there. Cloud must be training, and it peaked my interest.

"I'll be right back." I said as I warily approached the basement steps. I slid in the small crack of the door so it wouldn't creak and made my pursuit down the stairs. I turned to the right and crept around the corner of the wall and observed as Cloud swiftly moved around each target, taking them out as he went. He was so graceful for being such a big person, and it looked almost as if he were dancing. There was a small coat of glistening sweat on his beautifully colored skin. Just as he was about to strip his shirt off, I turned a deep red and moved backwards and acted as if I just got there. I made a small coughing sound and he turned to look at me. He nodded once.

"What can I do for you, Kaylee?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see what it was like down here; I can go if I'm disturbing you." I said with a deep bow. He walked over and I lifted my head to meet his eyes.

"That's not necessary. I noticed you use a gun, so I can't really help you in that department, but don't you also have twin swords?" he asked. I nodded once. "I can help you train with them, if you'd like." He said in a monotone voice. His eyes seemed hopeful, but it quickly went away—maybe I was seeing things.

"Sure, let me just go get them!" I said a bit too cheerily. He didn't seem to mind, though. I ran back up the stairs but came to an immediate halt when someone jumped out right in front of me. It was the creepy guy from in front of my old apartment!

"Hello, beautiful! I told you I would be seeing you again!" he said while embracing me. I just stood there, horrified, not knowing what to do. I looked pleadingly over to Vincent who was growling and he swiftly removed me from his grasp.

"Thanks." I muttered close to him and he nodded.

"Aw, don't worry big guy, this gorgeous gal knows who I am!" the guy said.

"Just barely, he countered me outside my old apartment one day and told me all this stuff he knew about me. I never talked to him a day in my life prior to that moment. What are you doing here? How did you find me?" I asked.

"I'm here with my business partner, Odette. Though I was upset when you disappeared from the complex, I didn't come here to find you. But when my boss told me you were here, I was so excited!" he said. I shivered at how frighteningly creepy he was. Since I had been gone longer than expected, Cloud came up the stairs looking slightly disappointed. He saw Vincent standing behind me with his hands protectively on my shoulders and the man slowly moving closer. Cloud gently put his sword between me and the guy and I looked at him with appreciation. At that moment Odette came running down the stairs and let out a shriek when she saw the scene.

"Hey, stop! This is my partner, his name is Adam and he's cool!" she said while forcefully moving him out of the way of Cloud's sword. I looked at her like she was insane.

"He said he was your partner, but I didn't believe him at first. Odette, he's completely creepy!" I quickly turned to him "no offense, of course…"

He just shrugged.

"He knew everything about me without ever talking to me." I said.

"Because you're a part of our job, Kaylee. I'm your best friend so I know everything about you already, but he didn't. He had to read up, and plus he went to some of your shows when you sang at little pubs and stuff." She said matter-of-factly. I still didn't like it. Even though I was friends with her, I never fully trusted Odette. I just shrugged and nodded at the guy.

"Well I guess you'll be staying here for a while…so my name is Kaylee, how do you do?" I said trying to actually have a genuine meeting with him. He smiled brightly and grabbed my hand tightly.

"Hey, Kaylee! I'm Adam, and I'm wonderful." He said as he shook my hand. I laughed nervously and Cloud grabbed my hand. Everyone gasped slightly and I turned a million shades of I don't even know what color. I looked at him confused and he began to lead me upstairs. My mind began racing and I almost started to hyperventilate, but I needed to play it cool, so I kept it together. He led me into his room and my breath caught in my throat. He closed the door and turned to me.

"Sorry that was abrupt. Do me a favor…don't associate with that guy. I don't like the looks of him." He said. I nodded.

"I didn't plan on it, he's completely creepy. I'm going to stay away from that as much as possible!" I yelled. He nodded also and then went to open his door. "Erm, Cloud, wait!" I yelled, except I didn't even have anything to say so my eyes widened and I started to panic. His intuition kicked in ever so slightly and he figured out my dilemma and didn't even bother turning around. His hand hovered over the doorknob and I made an awkward noise in your throat. "Nevermind", was all I could say before he opened the door and released me from his room. So much could have been said, but all that left my lips was a dismissal.


	10. A Bloody Feud

**A/N: The song in which Kaylee was "coming up with" in the shower is copyright to Amy Lee of Evanescence and does not belong to me, nor do any of the characters from FFVII! OCs are mine though, please ask permission before using names or traits! **

**Enjoy, my loyal readers!**

It was extremely weird to have Odette staying with us, especially with that creepy friend of hers. I didn't like the looks of him; I don't think the light in his upstairs was turned on. It was as if he kissed the ground she walked on, but not even in an affectionate manner—he was more like her dog than her partner. When I watched them interact, I didn't even recognize the Odette I knew; the person talking down to Adam was no one even remotely close to my best friend. I also couldn't help but be a little bit jealous of her: she was gorgeous and super intelligent…and all over Cloud. From the looks of it, Tifa didn't like her too much either.

"How did you say you knew Odette again, Kaylee?" Tifa asked me. I shrugged my shoulders and sat back in the bar chair I was perched in at the counter.

"I really don't have much memory of it, to be completely honest with you. She found me after I had been beaten down by that monster, Sephiroth, and she was the one who introduced me to Yuffie also. Maybe we should ask Yuffie how she knows her, that's more of a mystery to me." I said. We both stood up and went to go find Yuffie, who was sitting in the Kids' room watching TV.

"Hey Yuffie, let me ask you something." I said as Tifa and I sat on either side of her.

"Uh oh, I don't like the looks of this." She said with a nervous laugh as she attempted to slowly get up. Tifa and I put our hands on her shoulders and slowly sat her right back down. "Alright, what is it?" she said defenseless.

"We were just wondering how you met Odette, is all." Tifa said. Yuffie sighed with relief and lay back against the sofa casually.

"Oh, well to be honest with you I can't really remember. I was walking through a dark cave in the middle of the woods once and I remember seeing a strand of silver hair before something hit me and I blacked out. When I came to, Odette was standing over me in her living room and I had an ice pack on my head. She said she saw me lying helplessly on the ground and then it all picked up from there. She's the one who introduced me to you in the first place, Kaylee!" she said. Tifa and I just shrugged it off, it wasn't what we were expecting, but it seemed useful enough.

I decided I had nothing better to do so I was going to go train. I ran upstairs and grabbed Angeline and then flew down to the basement. I cocked my gun and began shooting as quickly as possible, I had really gotten better since coming here because this training ground was so much better than the one I made myself. If I thought I was an ace gunman before, I was a novice back then! By the time I had finished I was drenched in sweat and decided to lay on the cold stone floor before going back upstairs, I was way too hot to go back into the crowded bar. As I was lying on the floor I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I didn't care who it was at this point, I was too lazy to stand up. When the footsteps stopped in front of my limp figure I opened my eyes and saw Cloud hovering over me.

"Hi there." I said with a goofy smile. He extended a hand to help me up and I took it with thanks. "Thanks for that, I don't know if I could have gotten up the energy to stand up on my own." I said as I brushed myself off. We made eye contact as he handed me a small glass of water. I smiled wide and drank it greedily.

"You've been down here for hours. Tifa wanted me to bring that to you, she thought you would be unconscious by now." He said. I nodded once to acknowledge this and then smiled up at him.

"I feel like it's been ages since we've spoken, Cloud. What have you been up to lately? You're never here anymore." I said. He looked down at his fingertips and then back into my eyes.

"I've been exploring the vicinity to see of Kadaj and his gang has been hanging around here ever since they attacked you upstairs that day." As he said this I began to blush and looked down at the floor ashamed.

"Thanks. I mean, they didn't hurt me or anything they mostly did it to…stir the place up. And unfortunately it worked, don't go too out of your way for this." I said sadly.

"I don't like this Odette character either. There's something off there, I don't trust the look of her." He said. This surprised me, I mean, for quite some time I felt nasty waves coming from Odette but I didn't think Cloud would openly admit this to me considering I had been so close to her. "Yuffie told me how she met her after telling you and Tifa, and it's strange how she just happened to be in the same cave as Yuffie and also knew she was attacked. She was already linked to you, I feel as though she brought you to Yuffie so that you could be brought here." He said. When he brought this to my attention, it sounded…kind of accurate. But Odette couldn't possibly be trying to sabotage me or these people, what reasons could she have?

"Yeah, I feel like you're onto something with that. She has no reason to want to do that though, at least not for negative purposes. She has no idea who any of you are and she's just an old childhood friend of mine." I said in a trance. The room fell silent and after about a minute of silence I realized how close we were standing, and how bad I probably wreaked. I looked up and noticed Cloud had already been staring down at me. I nonchalantly inched a bit closer without him noticing and by this point I could feel his breath on my forehead. I couldn't hide the blush anymore and it exploded across my entire face, leaving me to sweat even more. He either didn't notice it or chose to ignore it, and I smiled inwardly. As I was about to break the tension I heard a small grunt come from the steps and saw Odette standing there. She gave a small wave and Cloud quickly dismissed himself from the room.

"Sorry, I didn't know you two were having a moment, Tifa just thought you had died or something." She said slightly irritated. I shrugged and grabbed my gun from off the floor and went to walk upstairs but she put her arm across the walls to stop me. "You're acting weird. What's going on with you?" she asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said blankly.

"It's like you're threatened by me or something. Ever since I came here you've been avoiding me and it's really starting to piss me off." She said. Acid dripped off every word she spoke, and I suddenly became extremely apprehensive.

"You're the one who's been acting funny. You're a guest under this roof and you walk around as if you own the place. Where do you get off showing up here anyway? Why did you make it seem like I was attacked upstairs? It's just thrown this place into chaos and frankly, I don't appreciate that." I said while stepping closer to her. At this point our foreheads were practically touching and we were both breathing heavily with anger.

"You're just jealous that I'm here. I'm competition for Cloud and you know it; you've _always _been jealous of me, Kaylee. You've just been too afraid to admit it." She said with a smirk. I cocked my gun in response and as I went to point it at her face, Vincent appeared behind me and grabbed my shooting arm and twisted it behind my back. I grunted in the slight bit of discomfort it caused me but mentally thanked him, I definitely would have shot her if he didn't show up when he did.

"Thanks." I whispered behind me. I felt him nod and I looked forward again—Odette was already more than halfway up the stairs when she turned around to scoff at me.

"Looks like this visit is going to be even more fun than I imagined. By Kaylee-bug, see you around." She winked at me before departing. I spat on the ground where she was previously standing and shook myself loose from Vincent's grasp.

"You need to cool down before facing her again." He said. I picked up the empty glass which once contained the water Cloud had brought down for me and sneered at him.

"Whatever. I'm going to take a shower." I said. I ascended the steps and when I reached the top I saw Odette trying to hold a conversation with Cloud, who looked like he wanted to simply gouge his own eyes out. I shook my head and put the empty glass on the counter. Tifa walked over to me and didn't look too pleased herself.

"I heard a small piece of the things she said to you downstairs. This is my bar, and as far as I'm concerned she's not welcome in it." She said. I sighed and put a hand to my forehead—I was still coated in sweat.

"We need to keep her under this roof; I think Cloud was right when he said she was dangerous. I don't trust her anymore, she's definitely up to something, there's just something not right with her nature. That guy that's here with her, Adam or whatever, he's so sketchy. I hate them both, and as much as I want them out too, it's safer to keep them here." I said. Tifa sighed with sorrow and went back to drying glasses. I went up the stairs and threw Angeline in the drawer next to my bed and wrapped myself in a towel in preparation for a much needed shower. I stepped into the bathroom and as soon as the scalding water touched my skin, I couldn't help but smile. Aside from fighting and eating, showering was one of my favorite past-times.

"I don't know why I don't shower more often. I wish the hot water would stay on forever…great, now I'm talking to myself. Oh well I'm my best listener. Maybe I can think up a new song to add to my personally-produced album while I'm in here. Let's have a go at it, shall we, Kaylee? We shall! ...

_I've been believing in something so distant, as if I was human_

_And I've been denying this feeling of hopelessness, in me…in me…_

_All the promises I've made, just to let you down—you believed in me, but I'm frozen_

Frozen? No that doesn't fit. Oh well, I got a couple of opening lines in I guess." I said to myself. Talking in the shower was often a comfort to me and I always got my best creativity flowing in there. As I was about to shut the water off I heard a small snicker from outside of the curtain. My eyes widened and I grabbed my razor tightly in my hand. Without making a sound, I snatched my towel from the top of the curtain rings and wrapped it around my naked form. To prevent my spy from knowing I had noticed their presence, I kept the hot water running. Clutching my razor tightly with one hand and holding the towel up with the other, I lunged from the shower and tackled my potential-attacker.

With fire in my eyes, I realized I was sitting on top of none other than my original stalker, Adam. His face turned a pale white and his pupils shrank down to nothing.

"Treacherous snake! What are you doing in here while I bathe? Answer me, you slime!" I screamed in his face while holding the razor to his throat. He began to sweat and whimper at me and I just pressed it harder into his neck until a bit of blood trickled down.

"Okay, okay, okay! I knew you were taking a shower and I just wanted to get a peek! And then I heard you talking to yourself and I wanted to see what was on your mind and maybe get some insight for a new song or something. I meant no harm!" he said with a nervous grin. God, I really hated this loser.

"You meant no harm? Oh alright, you just wanted to SEE ME NAKED!" I screamed in his face. I had yelled louder than I thought and heard thumping feet up the stairs. "Shit." I said as I stood and unlocked the door. To make sure my peeping-tom didn't move, I kicked him back to the floor and kept my foot on his chest. Without my knowledge he was right next to the cabinet attached to the mirrors—those cabinets contained extra razor blades. As I was about to open the door and reveal whoever was coming to my rescue, he grabbed one of the razor blades and left a nasty gash down my left calf.

"AH, SONOFABITCH!" I yelled in pain as I hit the ground. He ran over my half-exposed body and through the door; while doing so, he proceeded to knock down a concerned Tifa as well and sent her spiraling down the stairs.

"Shit! Now I'm done for!" Adam yelled as he went to dive out of the window. Before he could, he was met with the chest of none other than Vincent Valentine. I was able to gather all of this from the menacing rumble coming from Vincent's chest and the horrified shriek coming from Adam. I clutched my leg to my chest as it bled profusely all over the bathroom floor. The room started to spin and go dark; I was losing blood very quickly. Before I lost consciousness I saw heavy black boots come stumbling into the bathroom and slip a bit on the water. The figure ran over to the shower and shut it off before coming down to my level.

"Oh God, her right boob is out of the towel!" the person hollered before falling over onto the wet floor beside me. I recognized the voice to be Cloud's, but I was in too much agony to be humiliated.

"Cloud, you have to go to Tifa, he pushed her down the stairs." I said between breaths. I felt him stir beside me before I finally lost consciousness.


	11. The Moonlight

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update! This chapter is kind of short because I've been doing stuff all day, but I promise I'll be throwing more out there more often! I noticed there was barely any action going on with Cloud so I chose to speed things up a little bit which I'm a little upset about because Cloud's just _slightly _out of character toward the end. I tried my best to keep him in character so hopefully you guys don't kill me! R&R :3**_  
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><p><em>Where am I? Ew, what is that foul stench? My leg hurts…<em>

I sat up and looked around the room. I was back in my own bed in the bar and my leg wound was dressed…as well as my body. I vaguely remembered what happened and my blood began to boil. Before I moved I also remembered Cloud had seen my breast…that was awkward. I attempted to contain the blush as I slowly rose out of the bed and swung my legs over the edge. I exhaled deeply as I went to stand before I heard a grunt in the corner.

"Vincent." I said.

"You shouldn't be walking yet." He replied. I shrugged and stood up, it wasn't too bad. It was just a cut, after all.

"I'm fine, nothing is broken it was just a cut." I said with a smile. He rose and approached me, anchoring my clumsy form as I stood. "Where is he?" my tone darkened.

"He fled, but not before I had my way with him. He's bloodied up pretty badly, but I left him alive."

"And Odette?" I asked. I secretly hoped he had done the same to her.

"She disappeared, but she'll be back. Unfortunately she won't be gone forever." He said. I sighed and let go of him to stand on my own.

"I'm sorry about all of this, Vincent. I showed up and I brought so much…chaos with me." I said. He cringed at the word chaos and I looked at him curiously. He refused to make eye contact with me and I let it go for now.

I made a move to walk out the door and he followed right behind me in case I wiped out. I moved slowly down the stairs and when I finally made it to the bottom I let out a triumphant sigh.

"See? I can do things on my own!" I said. I went to spin around and fell over, but before I hit the ground I landed in a pair of arms. I looked up and was met with the eyes of Cloud. He made a small rumble in his throat and helped me stand back up.

"You should be more careful." He said.

"So I've been told." I smiled. "Want to fill me in on what's happened?" I asked. We went and sat at one of the low tables so I didn't have to hop on a bar stool. Tifa and Cid joined us with solemn expressions.

"We should have never let people like that into the bar. I didn't trust them from the first sight." Tifa said. Her brow furrowed and she looked away from me ashamed. "How's your leg?" she asked timidly. I smiled and patted my upper thigh.

"Functioning and ready! Quit worrying so much, I should have known better than to shower with the door unlocked knowing that guy was around. He's been stalking me since I lived at my old apartment." I said nonchalantly. At this Cloud, Vincent, and Cid's heads all jerked up.

"What did you just say?" they all said in unison. I raised my brow in confusion and looked between the three of them.

"He's been stalking me since I lived at my old apartment?" I said. They all exchanged glances and Cid was the first to speak,

"Why didn't you tell us about that sooner? You never said you recognized him or that he was a dern problem to ye! This whole thing coulda been prevented!" he said. I shrugged in response.

"I don't know, I had no idea he knew Odette", I scowled at her name, "so at the time it didn't really matter. But yes, he's horrifyingly creepy and I should have said something. But I didn't. What do we do now?" I asked.

"We find them and get some answers." Cloud said while standing. I stood up as well and he shot me a look. "Not you. You're not strong enough yet with that leg. They'll be waiting for you, too."

"You have to be kidding. This is going to be fine by tomorrow morning! Use me as bait, that's the only way they're going to even show their faces." I said. I felt my face turning red with anger and Tifa stood up next to me.

"But what about Kadaj and his gang? They'll be after her too." She turned to me, "it isn't safe, Kaylee."

"It's the only way." We heard a voice call out from the doorway of the bar. Yuffie was standing there, drenched—it must have been raining pretty hard.

"What?" Cid asked.

"The only way we're going to find these sickos is if we have Kaylee with us. There's something they want with her, and we have to find out what it is. Odette was using me to get to her. I want to know why." She said. She sounded hurt, Odette was actually much closer to her than she was to me since she "saved" Yuffie in the cave. I didn't want Yuffie to hurt anymore, she needed to be stopped.

"I have a strong intuition that Odette is also working with Kadaj's gang." I said. "They'll all be waiting."

"Then we'll leave tomorrow, if that's when you say your leg will be healed." Tifa said. I smiled at her and nodded once.

"I don't like this." Vincent said. Cloud shook his head in agreement beside him and I gave them a look of contempt.

"There are no other options." I said. We would leave tomorrow.

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><p>I walked over to the windowsill next to the staircase and stared out at the dark forest across from the bar. I couldn't sleep because I had been unconscious for God knows how long after the accident. I was also overeager to get my vengeance on that slime that cut me, and the bitch who's hunted me. I sighed audibly and jumped when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I whipped around to see Cloud standing in the middle of the hall awkwardly.<p>

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I asked. I knew I couldn't have, I wasn't being loud in the least. He shook his head no and approached me slowly.

"I'm worried about this mission." He said. He stood right beside me and stared out the window. The way his face looked in the moonlight was absolutely breathtaking. His jawline stood out prominently and his eyes glistened so bright, they looked almost white.

"Why are you so worried? We're going to put an end to the evil that followed me here." I looked down. I felt guilty that I had brought so much pain and so much misery to these people; they were nothing but kind to me.

Cloud reached over and lifted my chin with his hand. He kept his hand there even after our eyes had met and I felt the blush creep onto my face. There was nothing I could do to hide it, he was staring at me. He looked confused about something, or like he was fighting an internal battle—I wanted to desperately to wrap him in my arms and promise everything would work out. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I wish it never had stopped. He dropped his hand but we continued to stare into one another's eyes.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden on you all." I said. My heart was sad and my words were solemn; he moved closer.

"You are not a burden. You have brought light into our lives that wasn't there before and I…I'm thankful for it." He said. He still looked like he was fighting himself, and I wanted him to stop. I was always given a reputation for being bold…

I wrapped my arms around his waist and lay my head against his chest.

"You're not alone." I whispered. I could hear his heart beat one hundred times faster than regular, but he didn't push me away. After at least a minute of holding our bodies together, I pulled back. He looked as though he was blushing furiously, but I couldn't be sure—I couldn't see anything aside from the glow of his eyes.

"What time is it?" he asked. It was barely audible, but I heard him. I smiled slyly and turned to head back to my room. I glanced at him over my shoulder and winked.

"The time is now."


End file.
